1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and program for activating a design test mode in a graphics card having multiple execution units.
2. Description of the Related Art
A graphics card comprises a component of a computer system that generates and outputs images to a display device. The graphics card may comprise an expansion card inserted in an expansion slot of the computer system or implemented as a chipset on the computer motherboard. The graphics card contains one or more graphics processors and an on-board graphics memory. Current graphics processors operate at a clock rate oscillating between 250 MHz and 650 MHz and include pipelines (vertex and fragment shaders) that translate a three dimensional (3D) image formed by vertexes, with optional colors, textures, and lighting properties and lines, into a two-dimensional (2D) image formed by pixels.
During manufacturing, the manufacturer tests produced graphics cards by inputting test data into the cards to produce test output to analyze and debug the graphics card as part of product development and quality assurance. Certain graphics cards include special test circuitry implemented on the graphics card that is used to test the memory of the graphics card.